The Board of the Wallenberg Foundation, a New York based NGO that develops educational programs and public awareness campaigns based on the values of solidarity and civic courage, ethical cornerstones of the Saviors of the Holocaust, unanimously decided to support the creation of My Name is Raoul, a book by Christopher Huh, a second-generation Korean-American Christian teenager. The book will deal with the story of WWII hero, Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat that helped save the lives of thousands of persecuted people in Budapest.

“I want to make a graphic novel that will bring attention to his life. Not only about the things he did, but who he was. Raoul Wallenberg’s story is one of courage and compassion. Being born into a well-off and prestigious family, he could have lived a comfortable life. But he put himself in danger to save people who had no connection with him. Today, hundreds of thousands of people around the world owe their existence to Raoul Wallenberg. I often wonder why Raoul Wallenberg at age 31, left his comfort and went to Budapest to save people he didn’t even know. What moved him? What would he say if he was still alive today?”, says Christopher

Christopher, who attends Rocky Hill Middle School in Clarksburg, Maryland, started drawing and writing his first book, Keeping my Hope, when he was 14 years old. Created entirely with just paper and pencil, it took him about a year and a half and a thousand hours of research on World War II and the Holocaust to complete the book.

Keeping my Hope is a historical fiction graphic novel which circles around the life of Ari, a teenager whose entire life is turned upside down by the horrors of the Holocaust. He and his family are torn apart and moved to Auschwitz, where the reader gains an inside look at what the prisoners in concentration camps suffered. However, even with these atrocities, the power of friendship shines through and gives Ari hope to keep surviving sorrounded by the darkest blizzards of terror. Keeping my Hope spreads the message of how powerfully racism and prejudice can affect those around us.

“My goal is to see My Name is Raoul in every public library and school in America.”, he adds from his home suburban Maryland.

“This is a paramount example as well as a great experience for a young man of his age”, states Eduardo Eurnekian, Chairman of the Wallenberg Foundation.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) — In the 70th anniversary year of his disappearance in Russia, Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust, was honored at Sweden’s embassy in Buenos Aires.

Wednesday’s tribute organized by Argentina’s Raoul Wallenberg Foundation and the Swedish Embassy in Argentina was led by Tomas Kertesz, a survivor of the Budapest ghetto who met with Wallenberg in his effort to save Jews; the Swedish ambassador to Argentina, Gufran Al-Nadaf; and the Jewish-Argentine writer Marcos Aguinis.

Kertesz said Wallenberg in 1944 invented special Swedish passports as safe conduct for the Jews of Budapest.

“Wallenberg hired 350 Jews in the embassy and I worked there with him,” Kertesz said. “There he distributed passports to the Jews. Every member of my family member received one.”

Wallenberg, however, was unable to save Kertesz’ parents.

Al-Nadaf warned about the current situation in Europe.

“Today we see a world where anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and anti-Gypsyism are growing, especially in Europe,” the Swedish envoy said. “Today more than ever we need people and diplomats such as Raoul Wallenberg and his impressive acts.”

]]>http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/news/raoul-wallenberg-honored-at-swedish-embassy-in-buenos-aires/feed/0A symbolic and moving gatheringhttp://www.raoulwallenberg.net/news/a-symbolical-and-emotional-gathering/
http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/news/a-symbolical-and-emotional-gathering/#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 14:39:34 +0000helenahttp://www.raoulwallenberg.net/?p=1101050972Quite a gathering took place on 25 February 2015 at the residence of the Swedish Ambassador in Buenos Aires to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the disappearance of Raoul Wallenberg.

Invited by Swedish Ambassador Gufran Al-Nadaf and Eduardo Eurnekian, Chairman of the Wallenberg Foundation, more than a dozen ambassadors, among other diplomats, as well as specials guests, attended the ceremony to remember the courageous feats and unmatched personality of the Swedish diplomat that helped save the lives of thousands of persecuted individuals in Hungary during WWII.

Ambassador Al-Nadaf delivered the opening speech (Spanish) with a brief, precise and moving recapitulation of Wallenberg’s mission and deeds.

“We have learned much of what happened during World War II but, nevertheless, that does not seem so considering what is happening today in the world. We need many more Wallenbergs. Today we live in a world where anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and anti-Gypsyism are growing faster. And in Europe no less than elsewhere.”, she said. Ambassador Al-Nadaf was followed by Marcos Aguinis, renowned Argentine writer and IRFW Member of the Board, who underlined the necessity of live without fear in a world where ethnical and political violence seems to be the common denominator. The closing words were delivered by Tomas Kertesz (speech in Spanish) (87), who thrilled the audience by recalling his experiences as a youth persecuted by the Nazis while serving as one of Wallenberg’s assistants.

The Wallenberg Foundation was founded by Baruch Tenembaum, 2009 Nobel Peace Prize candidate. Its mission is to research, preserve and promote the brave legacies of the Holocaust Rescuers, courageous women and men who saved the lives of persecuted people. More than 300 Heads of State and Nobel Prize laureates comprised its membership. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, current Pope Francis, is one of its founder members.

]]>http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/news/a-symbolical-and-emotional-gathering/feed/0“Raoul Wallenberg – Making A Difference”: Commemoration Held In Memory Of Hero Swedish Diplomathttp://www.raoulwallenberg.net/press/2015-press/raoul-wallenberg-making-a-difference-commemoration-held-in-memory-of-hero-swedish-diplomat/
http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/press/2015-press/raoul-wallenberg-making-a-difference-commemoration-held-in-memory-of-hero-swedish-diplomat/#commentsWed, 21 Jan 2015 15:04:08 +0000helenahttp://www.raoulwallenberg.net/?p=1101050858On 19 January, the Budapest Music Centre hosted a commemoration to mark the seventieth anniversary of the disappearance of the late Swedish ambassador Raoul Wallenberg, Sweden’s former ambassador to Hungary who saved thousands of Jews from deportation during the Holocaust.

The commemoration, entitled “Raoul Wallenberg – Making a Difference – An Evening of Remembrance and Tolerance”, was held by Swedish Ambassador to Hungary H. E. Mr. Niclas Trouvé in the presence of the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) Urban Ahlin and Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly Márta Mátrai.

Speaking of the recipients of this year’s Raoul Wallenberg Awards, presented jointly by the Raoul Wallenberg Society, the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, the Ministry of Human Reources and the National Association of Municipal Self-Governments, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Human Resources Bence Rétvári branded those honoured “ambassadors of humanity”, adding that the Wallenberg Award is presented to people who actively assist the coexistence of various ethnic and religious groups and in the overcoming of prejudice.

This year’s awards went to Lutheran pastor Péter Bakay, director of the church’s Roma mission, Episcopal pastor Albert Durkó, head of the Hungarian Episcopalian Church’s national Roma mission, Reformed prison pastor Jonathan Sándor Szénási, history teacher and textbook author Gyula Hosszú, history teacher and Holocaust exhibition organiser Mária Baráth, and the municipal government of the town of Vác for its assistance to the Roma community and its support in preserving Jewish culture.

Raoul Wallenberg disappeared on 17 January 1945, on his way from Budapest to the eastern city of Debrecen. He is believed to have been abducted by Soviet troops and evidence suggests that he died in prison in the Soviet Union two years later.

]]>http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/press/2015-press/raoul-wallenberg-making-a-difference-commemoration-held-in-memory-of-hero-swedish-diplomat/feed/070 years: Raoul Wallenberg’s abduction by the Russians on January 17, 1945http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/highlights/70-years-raoul-wallenbergs-abduction-by-the-russians-on-january-17-1945/
http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/highlights/70-years-raoul-wallenbergs-abduction-by-the-russians-on-january-17-1945/#commentsWed, 21 Jan 2015 12:59:43 +0000helenahttp://www.raoulwallenberg.net/?p=1101050855Reflections on the person behind the hero, and his fate – as told by his niece, Louise von Dardel.

My uncle Raoul Wallenberg, who rescued tens of thousands of Jews in Hungary, was abducted by the Russians on January 17, 1945, and immediately incarcerated in a KGB jail in Moscow. Probably not a single day has gone by that our family has not thought of him since, and we have done all we could to bring him home.

The 70th anniversary of his separation from us leads me to reflect, and some of this I would like to share.

Because of his exceptional deeds in Hungary, Raoul is a historical figure, and history is collective memory. Yad Vashem has a slogan: “Remembering the past – shaping the future.” For myself as well, history is understanding the essence of past events in order to be able to learn for the future.

Specifically, in the case of Raoul, I ask: How do we remember a great hero? Is it only to “honor,” or to also provide motivation for positive action? Throughout the past decades, my uncle was often recognized at high-level state ceremonies and made an honorary citizen of various countries. Streets, monuments and schools have been named after him, stamps have been issued by various countries. He is the best-known rescuer of Jews; many who remember him are descendants of those he rescued, and thus received the gift of life.

Some also remember him as a symbol of Communist terror, which swallowed tens of millions of lives.

For me, there are two main questions: “What happened to Raoul Wallenberg after he fell into the hands of the Russians?” and “What can we learn from him, and how can we be inspired to carry on his work and keep his spirit alive?” More information is required about his fate and why he was not rescued from the Russians. To do so, we need to better understand all the complex forces of history in the postwar period.

Raoul was born into a privileged family: the wealthy and very powerful banking and industrial Wallenbergs of Sweden.

His father, Raoul Oscar Wallenberg, died before he was born and his maternal grandfather passed away a few months after his birth. In his formative years he was brought up by two grieving widows, his mother and grandmother, both dressed in black. Some may feel like victims under such circumstances, but Raoul learned compassion for the suffering of others.

Later his mother, Maj, my grandmother, married Fredrik von Dardel, an aristocrat and nobleman. Subsequently, Raoul’s siblings were born – my father, Guy, and aunt Nina.

Instead of becoming a banker in the Wallenberg enterprise, Raoul selected architecture for his university studies, due to his imagination, pragmatism and passion for creating harmony. Despite America’s Great Depression, he chose to study at the University of Michigan. He witnessed many personal tragedies and also perceived the coming of economic recovery.

During a vacation, he worked at a world’s fair and experienced America by hitchhiking all the way to Mexico. He appreciated the country’s vastness and beauty; he saw that America could envision and accomplish great things, almost without limits and often in totally unconventional ways. This made a great impression on Raoul, and fundamentally influenced his thinking.

He enjoyed his studies, nature, travel, meeting girls, interesting discussions, reading, going to movies, dinners and many of the nice things life has to offer. Despite his family background, he was modest and loved to be helpful to people.

Following the wishes of his banking family, on his way back to Sweden he worked for a short time in various countries in order to gain banking experience.

One of his places of work was a bank in Haifa, where he met many Jews who had recently escaped from Nazi Germany. That may well be one of the reasons he felt so much empathy for the abandoned Jews of Europe.

The global economic crisis had already reached Sweden when he returned to Stockholm. The wealthy Wallenberg family seemed unable to help him find work. Raoul found a job with a Hungarian Jew, Kalman Lauer, in Stockholm; it was an import-export company dealing with Hungarian food items.

He was a creative person in the best sense of that word, both in architecture and in other areas of life. This took courage, as a truly creative person is often scorned for being different. Raoul was not an eccentric or one-dimensional person, yet he was by no means a conformist.

He was in many ways a rugged individual, skillfully combining vision and inventiveness with pragmatism.

He was also very solution-oriented. For example, he designed a floating swimming pool next to the royal palace for a Stockholm architectural competition.

During much of World War II, Raoul lived in neutral Sweden, in peaceful Stockholm. Most of his friends were leading normal lives while he was concerned about the war; he kept up with events and even had a map on which he noted the main battles. He was quite bright, but even more importantly, he had a sensitive and caring heart. When he heard about the concentration camps, he believed it was indeed happening – and tried to convince his friends that this horror was a reality in modern Europe.

In January 1944, US president Franklin D. Roosevelt set up the American War Refugee Board. This happened mainly due to activism by the Hillel Kook (Peter Bergson)-led rescue group in America, as well as the help of US secretary of the treasury Henry Morgenthau Jr., a Jew who pressured Roosevelt.

With the support of numerous senators, congressmen and even first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, the “Bergson Group” persistently lobbied the Roosevelt administration to help the Jews of Europe.

One day, Raoul was asked by a Stockholm representative of the American War Refugee Board if he would be willing to help rescue Jews in Budapest. He did not speak Hungarian, had never lived there and certainly had no experience with such lifesaving work.

He was fully aware of the danger of his mission, yet he wanted a life filled with deep meaning – one worth living.

Ultimately he found that in Budapest, where he was totally energized by the immense meaning of his rescue work.

Raoul was given a diplomatic passport and an office at the Swedish Embassy in Budapest. Most vitally, the Swedish king agreed that Raoul would be independent and not subject to the diplomatic rules of the Swedish Foreign Ministry.

This was critical to his mission’s success.

Raoul left for Budapest in a hurry and with great passion, and arrived on July 9, 1944. He was a pragmatist, yet like many idealists and youthful people, didn’t know the concept of impossible.

This helped him face almost insurmountable odds.

Raoul’s mission to Budapest became possible for many reasons.

After the total defeat of the German army at Stalingrad in early February 1943, it became clear the tables had been turned on the Germans.

In June 1944 George Mantello, a Hungarian Jew and El Salvador diplomat in Switzerland, received with considerable delay the famous Auschwitz Report from Moshe Krausz in Budapest; he immediately publicized the horrors of the Holocaust in great detail. This triggered the Swiss people’s unparalleled grassroots protests and press campaign, with over 400 glaring headlines about Europe’s barbarism against its Jewish citizens.

Horthy understood the war was lost, and was forced to stop the transports to Auschwitz – which until then, took about 12,000 Jews to their tragic fate each day.

In Budapest, Raoul worked with great excitement. He was tireless and frequently thought of new approaches to save people.

He had excellent organizational skills; he built a fairly large group of hundreds of people, mostly Jews, into an organized company with departments and management.

There were departments handling financial matters, obtaining storage and distributing food, a clinic and orphanage as well as human resources.

His personality attracted talented and dedicated people to work with him, primarily because he offered meaning and hope.

Raoul helped Jews to help other Jews. He simply gave Jews back their dignity, willingness to live, confidence in themselves and humanity. He inspired people and, as a result, some were able to save themselves.

A woman I met told me she was Raoul’s secretary in Budapest, then an 18-year-old, blue-eyed Jewish girl. He sent her to various places, together with a Jewish man; they were fearless and didn’t wear yellow stars. The pair had with them a list of names of Jews who were supposedly under Swedish protection, and were able to save many.

Raoul also sent his staff to the railway station to help him rescue Jews there. At least once, he appeared with a bag full of Swedish protection papers and threw them to the people, who could then save themselves. Many Jews were also saved by forged Swedish protection papers.

During the winter and earlier, murderous Arrow Cross bands terrorized and murdered many people. Winter 1944 was especially cold, and the Danube froze over. This and the bombing and shelling of Budapest by the Allies made things even more difficult.

Raoul spoke German fluently and with a lot of authority when necessary, which the Germans respected. He didn’t fight the Germans; in fact, he understood them. He knew that many were afraid of being left behind on the battlefield, some were concerned about postwar retribution and many were worried about their families. This made it easier for him to negotiate for the rescue of Jews.

Raoul was able to carry on his rescue work because of his daring, passion and search for real meaning in life. It helped that people respected and liked him a lot; he maintained that his secret weapon was his imagination. Despite his enormous responsibility, he made sure to set aside a little time to cultivate some balance in his life, and did many sketches for his peace of mind.

One of his crucial contributions was that he brought kindness and humanity where there was so much inhumanity.

There was a spirit of friendship and collaboration between Raoul and some other diplomats in Budapest, including Carl Lutz, Giorgio Perlasca, Monsignor Angelo Rotta, Friedrich Born and Ángel Sanz-Briz. They inspired each other, and thus a few exceptional people saved large numbers of Jews – which was unprecedented in Europe.

One of the first actions by Russian forces in Budapest was to abduct my uncle and his Jewish driver, Vilmos Langfelder, on January 17, 1945, taking them to the Lubyanka KGB prison in Moscow.

Sweden conveniently considered him dead, and the Americans, who had persuaded him to go to Budapest, did not help him. My family was left alone to try to bring Raoul back home.

The world started to be interested in his exceptional deeds about 30 years after his abduction, but did not seem to care about his fate. It took over 20 additional years for Sweden to acknowledge his heroism, and apologize for being apathetic about his fate.

After my grandparents’ death, my father took on the task of searching for his older brother. He was a nuclear scientist and traveled to Russia over 50 times to try to find Raoul. His intense research put him in contact with talented and dedicated people who wanted to help. They included Andrei Sakharov, Russian nuclear physicist, human rights activist dissident and noted human rights lawyer; and one-time Canadian attorney-general and justice minister Prof. Irwin Cotler.

My father approached all relevant governments and institutions, but unfortunately in the end, lacked support from the concerned parties.

Raoul rescued tens of thousands of Jews in Hungary. Three generations have been born since, and large numbers owe their life to him. Raoul’s energy, compassion, passion and care for others made a difference.

The War Refugee Board provided considerable sums, an essential tool. With these, he was able to buy buildings to use as safe houses and office space, to purchase food and cover other expenses of the rescue operation. His diplomatic status, independence from normal Swedish diplomatic rules and lack of bureaucratic interference were certainly decisive factors.

We are very proud to be Raoul’s family, and regret that the world did not try to definitively uncover his tragic and undeserved fate in Russia. In enlightened countries, generals don’t leave soldiers on the battlefield – yet if humanity truly cared about heroes, then Raoul would not have been abandoned.

My sister, Marie Dupuy, and I greatly respect our father for never abandoning his brother, dedicating his life to bringing him home.

Having read this piece, perhaps you can pause for a while and ask yourself what you now understand about Raoul, and how you would put into practice his passion, love and concern for other people’s lives.

The 70th anniversary of my uncle’s abduction is an opportunity to reflect and be inspired. Perhaps this is the best way you, the reader, can honor my dear uncle.

]]>http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/highlights/70-years-raoul-wallenbergs-abduction-by-the-russians-on-january-17-1945/feed/0Double program in Tel Aviv to remember Raoul Wallenberghttp://www.raoulwallenberg.net/news/double-program-in-tel-aviv-to-remember-raoul-wallenberg/
http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/news/double-program-in-tel-aviv-to-remember-raoul-wallenberg/#commentsFri, 16 Jan 2015 16:08:14 +0000helenahttp://www.raoulwallenberg.net/?p=1101050834 “Seventy Years without Raoul Wallenberg, International Diplomatic and Legislative Activity Against Racial Discrimination”, was the title of the conference that took place on January 15, at the Cymbalista Jewish Heritage Center, Tel-Aviv University.

The speakers were Carl Magnus Nesser, Ambassador of Sweden; Professor Dina Porat, Head of the Kantor Center; Jens Orback, Secretary General of the Olof Palme International Center; Professor Joseph Klafter, President of the Tel-Aviv University; Prof. Yoram Dinstein, former President of the Tel Aviv University; Professor Irwin Cotler, Member of the Canadian Parliament; Professor Raanan Rein, Vice-President of the Tel-Aviv University; Cecilia Åhlberg, grand-niece of Raoul Wallenberg and Danny Rainer, Vice-President of the Wallenberg Foundation, who, among other words, said:

“We continue asking the Russian authorities to enable an unfettered access to the KGB archives. Historians should be able to carefully study the archival evidences as they might shed a lot of light into the fate of Raoul and that of Mr. Langfelder. We fail to understand the Russian obstinate stance not to allow such an access. With great pain, we must admit that we also fail to understand the strange passivity adopted by the various Swedish Governments, from the day Wallenberg was abducted, to this very day. I must say so, with all due respect, in the presence of my friend, Ambassador Nesser. We believe that true friendship allows this type of direct talk. Beyond its moral obligation towards Wallenberg, one must underscore that Sweden had and still has a great deal of diplomatic and economic leverage which could be used to bring Raoul back home.”

The event also marked a decade to the UN’s declaration of the International Holocaust Memorial Day and 70 Years to the liberation of Auschwitz.

An unusual opera

Later, a video recording of the opera “Wallenberg”, composed by Estonian Erkki-Sven Tüür, was screened at the at the Tel Aviv Cinémathèque.

The video is a recording of the performance by the Estonian National Opera staged in 2007. The opera premiered in 2001 at the Opernhaus Dortmund. After praising the work and mission of the Wallenberg Foundation, Tüür said that the screening of his opera in Tel Aviv “is definitely special”.

The Estonian Ambassador to Israel, Malle Talvet-Mustonen, added that the screening of Wallenberg was achieved thanks to the Estonian embassy, in cooperation with the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation and the Swedish embassy in Israel.

“It’s because of the fact that it’s unusual for an opera about such a person to exist, in addition to it having been written by an Estonian composer, that we have to introduce it to wider audiences. It’s also unusual that the composer himself attends the screening. Also, perhaps it’ll help get closer to the dream of having this opera performed on stage in Israel or elsewhere in cultural capitals where the subject and modern music matter.”, Ambassador Talvet-Mustonen said.

]]>http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/news/double-program-in-tel-aviv-to-remember-raoul-wallenberg/feed/070th Anniversary of Wallenberg’s disappearancehttp://www.raoulwallenberg.net/news/70th-anniversary-of-wallenbergs-disappearance/
http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/news/70th-anniversary-of-wallenbergs-disappearance/#commentsMon, 12 Jan 2015 14:59:54 +0000helenahttp://www.raoulwallenberg.net/?p=1101050822The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation claims for the closing of one of the most controversial and lasting human right’s cases since the end of World War II. Next 17 January is the 70th anniversary of the disappearance of the man who helped save the lives of thousands of persecuted people during the Holocaust.

Heads of State of the main industrialized countries were addressed by the Wallenberg Foundation to create awareness about a cause that involves the fate of a man whose deeds are a moral example for all the people of good will around the world.

In a jointly release, Eduardo Eurnekian and Baruch Tenembaum, Chairman and Founder of the Wallenberg Foundation respectively, state, among other concepts:

“These lines are about the fate of Raoul Wallenberg, one of the greatest heroes in the history of mankind that went missing on 17 January 1945, after being arrested by the Soviet Army.”

“In 2013, during Barack Obama’s visit to Stockholm, Raoul Wallenberg’s sister, Nina Lagergren, and his sister-in-law, Matilda von Dardel, took the opportunity to hand over a personal letter asking Obama to raise the issue of Raoul’s fate with the Russian authorities. Knowing your unique sensitivity to both Wallenberg’s legacy and personal tragedy, we respectfully ask you to raise this issue with the Russian authorities, whether in your own meetings with President Vladimir Putin or in any other high-profile encounters between your government officials and Russian counterparts. Reads the letter presented to the US President.

“On 4 September 2013, on his way to the G-20 Summit, President Obama paid tribute to Raoul Wallenberg in a moving ceremony at the Great Synagogue of Stockholm. On 5 September the Wallenberg Foundation sent a letter to President Obama. It reads:

“The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation deals with Wallenberg’s two unique dimensions: the hero and the victim. As a hero, he was a role model and therefore we engage in educational programs aimed at instilling the values of solidarity in the hearts and minds of the young generations. As a victim, he was arbitrarily imprisoned by the Soviets, never to be seen again. We do not spare any efforts to campaign for him.”

“For many years we have worked with his late half-brother, Professor Guy von Dardel, who devoted his life to try and save his sibling. Nowadays, we are working with his widow, Matilda, and their dear daughters, Louise and Marie, as well as with Raoul’s half-sister, Nina Lagergren, with the same aim.”

“We strongly urge Russian authorities to allow a fluent and unfettered access to KGB archives”. This is a crucial step towards putting an end to this human tragedy.”

“We hope that this tragic mystery may be solved successfully in the near future”, close Eurnekian and Tenembaum.

]]>http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/news/70th-anniversary-of-wallenbergs-disappearance/feed/0Prague names street after Raoul Wallenberg to remember courageous Swedish diplomathttp://www.raoulwallenberg.net/wallenberg/tributes/prague-names-street-after-raoul-wallenberg-to-remember-courageous-swedish-diplomat/
http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/wallenberg/tributes/prague-names-street-after-raoul-wallenberg-to-remember-courageous-swedish-diplomat/#commentsWed, 29 Oct 2014 13:56:11 +0000helenahttp://www.raoulwallenberg.net/?p=1101050408PRAGUE–The Czech capital Friday inaugurated a street named after Raoul Wallenberg to honor this Swedish diplomat who saved ten thousands of Jews from the Holocaust during the World War II.

A niece of Mr. Wallenberg, who perished in a Soviet prison after the war, Swedish and Czech officials took part in the naming ceremony to mark the United Nations Day, devoted to remembering humanitarian achievements.

In 1944 Mr. Wallenberg, posted in Budapest, granted visas and provided refuge to Jews in the Hungarian capital to prevent their deportation by the Nazis to concentration camps.

In early 1945 during the Red Army’s siege of Budapest Mr. Wallenberg was detained by the Soviet authorities for alleged espionage. He and his driver subsequently disappeared. Mr. Wallenberg is believed to have died in a Moscow prison in 1947. However, exact details of his disappearance and imprisonment in Russia still remain unknown despite numerous international efforts to have them explained by Soviet and Russian authorities.

The Czech capital joined Budapest and other cities in the U.S. or Israel to unveil a public memorial to Mr. Wallenberg.

In June the Hungarian capital installed a monument honoring the Swedish diplomat on Erzsebet Square in downtown Budapest.

]]>http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/wallenberg/tributes/prague-names-street-after-raoul-wallenberg-to-remember-courageous-swedish-diplomat/feed/0Democratic states in need of a new Wallenberghttp://www.raoulwallenberg.net/wallenberg/tributes/democratic-states-in-need-of-a-new-wallenberg/
http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/wallenberg/tributes/democratic-states-in-need-of-a-new-wallenberg/#commentsFri, 24 Oct 2014 13:47:40 +0000helenahttp://www.raoulwallenberg.net/?p=1101050389By Grigori Chvedov and Aage Borchgrevink

Under the pretext of the war in Ukraine, Russia and its neighbouring states are attacking human rights defenders and the media. Democratic states must work to protect those in danger.

At a time were the war that rages in eastern Ukraine brings the relations between Russia and Occidentals back to the bygone pre-Gorbatchev era, an internal struggle between liberal forces and authoritarian regimes makes a bad turn in Russia and several ex-Soviet republics.

In Russia in the North Caucasus, civil activist and blogger Timur Kouachev has recently been found dead after receiving an injection of an unknown substance in the armpit, raising presumptions of murder.

13 months ago, Akhmednabi Akhmednabiev, journalist at the 24/7 Internet agency Caucasian Knot, was shot to death at his doorstep. For lack of suspects, authorities have recently closed the inquiry. Many NGOs for Human Rights had to report themselves as “foreign agents” to avoid fines that would lead them to closing, yielding to a procedure reminiscent to the yellow star Jews had to sew on their clothes.

In Azerbaijan, authorities have arrested several Human Rights eminent defenders. Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist of international renown, was struck by a travel ban. Activists such as Rasul Jafarov, who launched the campaign Sing for Democracy during the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Intiqam Aliyev, Leyla and Arif Yunus, were imprisoned and accused of high treason. On August 21, unidentified people attacked the office of the Resource Center for NGO Development and Democracy in Nakhchivan. Ilqar Nesibov, known defender of Human Rights, who works at the Center, was atrociously beaten. This new wave of repression has not raised eyebrows among international media focused on Gaza, Iraq and Ukraine.

What remains the most disturbing is the lack of strong reaction from the main institutions for Human Rights, such as the Council of Europe (CE). General Secretary, Mr. Thorbjorn Jagland issued a statement of a remarkable weakness, while Azerbaijan continues to preside the Committee of Ministers, which takes the most important decisions of the EC. In Azerbaijan the Council of Europe is failing to protect the values it is supposed to embody.

Many states have detailed the principles of protection for defenders of Human Rights, but their embassies are unable to support them against the new wave of repression.

There are recent examples of defenders on the run, who received absolutely no support from the embassies of Western countries for the simple reason that they were “expecting new ambassadors”. Despite the proclaimed principles, the current protection system seems totally inadequate.

Even if the wave of arrests may be a temporary phenomenon, the real problem is that democratic states should establish a new system of measures if they really intend to support and protect Human Rights. Unfortunately, the work this defenders is becoming more and more dangerous. There are four simple ways to help journalists and local activists in case of an emergency that we would like to propose.

Defenders and their families should obtain multiple entry visas for Europe and North America countries, just in case they need to leave during an emergency. The current visa regime is heavy and does not allow a long-term stay if the applicant has not made several trips to the United States (or Europe).

Embassies require established procedures to evacuate immediately defenders at risk. If Raoul Wallenberg were a diplomat today, how would he act?

Democratic states should support the implementation of scholarships and internships for Human Rights defenders in their universities, research centres and institutions. Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is about to establish a program for professors from the Russian Caucasus universities, which includes courses in Moscow and Oslo. Similar projects facilitate the flow of information, the transfer of skills and can also help solve security problems, if they provide opportunities for long-term scholarships.

Imprisoned Human Rights defenders should also be supported: prisoners may need food, medicine; their families may face financial problems. Memorial, a Russian centre recognized for the defence of Human Rights, recently published a list of 45 political prisoners under detention in Russia, some of which are defenders of Human Rights. The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan approaches a hundred, according to the list drown up by local defenders (currently in prison too).

With the aim of creating an effective defence mechanism, a procedure for recognition of defenders at risk should be introduced. The major international organizations for Human Rights (Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, Frontline, the International Federation for Human Rights, Amnesty International, the Helsinki Network, The Human Rights House Foundation among others) can provide essential information on these cases. Undoubtedly, there should be a procedure planned for these groups so that they can be able to present it, which is actually most often occurring ad hoc.

Lawyer Gao Zhisheng, one of the leading advocates for Human Rights in China, was recently released from prison after three years detained. Gao appears to have suffered a serious injury, he is unable to communicate adequately and it is unclear whether he will ever be able to lead a normal life. To avoid such tragedies from affecting people who risk their lives fighting for the rights of their fellow citizens, democratic states must move from words to deeds.

It’s not complicated. It’s not expensive. This is a correct thing to do. In the memory of the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of lives at the end of the Second World War, the “Raoul Wallenberg procedure” must be created in order to protect Human Rights and journalists in danger.

Grigori Chvedov (Internet Agency Caucasian Knot and editor-in-chef)

Aage Borchgrevink (Advisor at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee)

Translation: Margarita Trovato, IRWF

]]>http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/wallenberg/tributes/democratic-states-in-need-of-a-new-wallenberg/feed/0Alaskahttp://www.raoulwallenberg.net/wallenberg/tributes/wallenday/usa/alaska/
http://www.raoulwallenberg.net/wallenberg/tributes/wallenday/usa/alaska/#commentsWed, 08 Oct 2014 15:27:41 +0000helenahttp://www.raoulwallenberg.net/?p=1101050357For the first time, the State of Alaska joins in honoring Raoul Wallenberg by declaring October 5, 2014, Raoul Wallenberg Day. We very much thank Governor Sean Parnell.
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